AN: WARNING… there are a few curse words at the beginning of this chapter. I tried to use something else, but it just didn't sound right. :D Also, sorry it's a bit long. I promise the next chapter will be up as soon as possible, but I hope you enjoy this chapter in the meantime. Thank you again so much to everyone who's reviewed! You inspire me!!
Lexi's POV:
Oh shit! Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!! I gripped Nessie's arm tighter as we broke out into a full run, going faster than even she had probably ever gone by herself. We reached the Cullen house in no time, where the front door swung open and the entire family poured out, concerned looks on every face.
"Nessie, Lexi, what is going on?" Edward asked. I didn't answer him but instead went straight to my car. I unlocked it and was sitting in the driver's seat in less than half a second, no longer worrying about controlling my actions. I had gone into automatic, running as I did during my regular activities. I began typing feverishly on a keyboard that extended from the console on the dashboard that was connected to a GPS tracking system. Maps began to flash before my eyes at a very fast pace, a trail of red connecting each piece until the whole came together. I gasped and held my breath in horror as I realized that the monster my family had been tracking over the last 56 years had finally reached where we were, or more specifically… where I was.
"Chris!" I yelled into the phone as I jumped out of the car and walked around to the trunk of the Bugatti. "Get over here now! We have a problem. Tell Mom to alert Dad". I hung up, not waiting for his reply. He knew that there was only one reason why I would talk to him like that: IT was here.
"Lexi, what is going on?" I heard Renesmee ask timidly. I couldn't look at her; couldn't explain it. Not yet. I continued to busy myself in the trunk, trying to hide myself from the Cullens until my brother arrived. I could already hear the tires of his car hit the beginning of their long and winding driveway. He would be here in 2 seconds. As he whipped around the last curve and jumped out before the car had come to a complete stop, I glanced up at Nessie and her family. I felt my eyes flash bright green and heard the accompanying gasp of shock and terror. I smiled to myself at the thought that, once, that gasp was what drove me to hunt: to do what I do.
"Lex, are you sure it's…" Chris couldn't even say what the monster was called. For so long, we refused to acknowledge what it was and what we were hunting. We never talked about it, because it meant that tragedy would follow in its footsteps.
"I'm positive" I told him, looking into his eyes for the first time. At that moment, sorrow and remorse hit me like a brick wall. My little brother, for the first time in my life, appeared scared and young. Too young, I thought. He's too young to be here; too young to be a part of this. Why, oh why, did we have to do this? I placed my arms around my brother, but this hug was different. It wasn't meant to be comforting. It was meant to say goodbye. I slammed the trunk closed and turned to face the Cullens, holding in my hand what looked like a camera tripod, only there were many wires protruding from it. I walked to the front of the car, took a deep breath, and rammed the contraption deep into the ground at my feet. My brother came around and quickly connected each wire to a sister wire on a second contraption he had brought with him from home. He set his ominous black box on the ground next to mine and took a step back, shaking slightly. I felt bad that I couldn't tell if he was shaking from excitement or from terror. I sighed as I fiddled with the wires, then went and stood next to Christopher. We stared off into the forest for a minute, taking the time to process everything that was now taking place. Finally, I sighed and turned towards the Cullens. It was then that I saw the family as it really was: paired up. Carlisle was embracing his wife, Esme, with his long arms wrapped around her waist. Rosalie and Emmett were kissing one another passionately, not caring that there were outsiders witnessing this intimate moment. Alice and Jasper were staring into each other's eyes, holding on to one another's arms tightly. Bella and Edward had their arms wrapped around one another, as well as around Nessie. I realized then that those three were a family, distinct from the rest of the Cullens. Nessie was their daughter, not adopted sister. The façade had been broken, both by the Cullens and by me. We were being what we were designed to be, and, for once, it felt good.
Christopher's POV
I had jumped in the car as soon as I saw that it was Lexi calling. She had been looking forward to last night and today so much that I knew she wouldn't call unless something was seriously wrong. My theories were confirmed when she instructed me to have Mom "alert" Dad. We had no father, so "alerting" him was code for something else; something so evil and sinister that we had been chasing it for the past 50 years or so. I suddenly became both fearful and enraged that my sister, the monster's main target, was standing so close to it unprotected and alone. Not alone, I thought, surrounded by other monsters. I hated the Cullens, and not just because they monopolized my sister's mind now. They were abominations, mutants, unnatural. In fact, they were the reason why people like my sister and I existed, although I wouldn't call our lives much of an existence. I hated my skills, my talents, and my instincts. I hated being able to memorize, without effort, the lay of the land as if I were reading a map the first moment I stepped into a new area. I hated being able to read emotions radiating off of people. I hated being able to rip apart an indestructible creature of the night with my bare hands as if I were tearing apart melted butter. I hated having all this power, all this control, and all this responsibility. Years of chasing demons and hunting the hunters had turned me into a bitter and angry being. I resented those that I chased, especially when there was no just cause to destroy them. I easily recognized how wonderful the Cullens were. I do not deny that their different way of life from others of their kind does inspire a smidge of hope in the idea that it is not an inherent trait to feed on humans. However, I had witnessed far too many bloody deaths; too many screams of terror being cut short by the grip of teeth. Too many times had I arrived too late to save an innocent from the tortuous death that awaited them. The only worse part then arriving too late to stop their death was arriving too late to stop the change. Having to kill a new vampire was the worst part, mainly because they hadn't done anything to deserve their fate. They did not choose to become a monstrosity, nor did they have a chance to act different from the one that created them. All had to be destroyed. That was the law that we lived by, or at least I did. I could no longer tell about Lexi.
I arrived to see my sister bending over the trunk. She brought the Bugatti, I mentally observed. Show off. I stepped out of the car and immediately went to Lexi's side. As I was joining her, I saw her glance up at the Cullens and her eyes flashed. I froze for a brief second, prepared to jump in and stop her if she lost her cool and went after them. I was surprised when she took a deep breath and quickly looked back down at what her hands were doing.
I can't look at them right now, she mentally explained.
You don't have to, I told her, joining her at the back of the car. We worked silently but smoothly for a few seconds.
Go get the box she told me. I walked over to the trunk of the most practical and non-flashy car we owned, a Mercedes S600 Sedan (AN: Check out my profile for a link to the car) in midnight blue. I pulled out a heavy black box and walked to where Lexi had placed her weapon in the ground already. We hooked everything up, praying that we wouldn't have to use it. I stepped back, afraid to get too close and accidently set it off. Lexi stared at me, but I didn't hear her say anything so I thought nothing of it. She joined me at my side, sliding her hand into mine for comfort. We both gazed far into the distance of the forest surrounding the Cullen house, watching the swaying of the trees grow closer and closer. Finally, I heard her sigh and turn towards her new friends. Here we go, I thought.
Renesmee POV:
I stood there holding on to my parents, although none of us knew exactly why. While Lexi and her brother had been setting up their strange contraption, we all had heard Carlisle gasp and then stare at my father. Dad simply nodded his head briefly, and then pulled Mom and me into a tight hug. This hug scared me, because it wasn't the kind that reassured you that everything was okay. It was the type of hug that made you fear that you would never see a loved one again. As the rest of the family embraced one another, I looked up to see Lexi and Christopher staring at the nine of us, a strange expression on Lexi's face. It was almost a smirk, but more a smirk of surprise and discovery. I looked up at my father, my mother, and my beloved family, and then stepped forward towards our two guests.
"Lexi, Christopher, we demand to know what is going on" I stated in an authoritative voice. As an after thought, I added "please". Lexi sighed, glanced sideways at her brother (who nodded slightly), then stepped forward and began to speak.
"As I'm sure you have already determined, my brother and I are not human. In fact, we may be, technically, less human than you. We do not know the source of our origin, or even how our…type… began. We just know that our small family has been around since before the time of the Volturi". She paused here as the rest of the family allowed the surprise from her words to register on our faces. She smiled, and then continued. "Yes, we know of the Volturi. We know of every group of vampire rulers there ever has been. We remain in close contact with Aro, Caius, and Marcus, although our friendship has become strained of late". She paused for a breath. She gazed at each of us, apology blaring in her eyes. "I am sorry if this is overwhelming for everyone. I know how it can feel when your whole world, the little sphere of life that you have created for yourself, is destroyed in an instant. I know what it's like to find out that things exist in this world that frighten even the most frightening of monsters". Here, she winked at me and I understood. We were the monsters, and she was what frightened us. I glanced back at my family to see the truth in her words etched on every vampire's face. If our kind could cry, Rosalie and Esme would have been in tears already. Mom would have been well on her way.
"We do not hunt anything specifically" Christopher interjected, stepping forward and taking his sister's hand. She gave him a look of gratitude and allowed him to continue. "We just hunt what poses the biggest threat to life in general, whether that is an unruly coven of vampires, a wild pack of monstrous werewolves, troublesome witches, and even things which are not of this world".
"What do you mean… not of this world?" I heard Uncle Jasper ask, pulling Alice tighter against him.
"What I mean" Chris continued, "Is that gates have been opened from this world to others. Most of the time, nothing happens. We all know that the world in which humans live is the most fictional world of all. They believe in fairy tales and dreams that come true, but they fail to see reality that surrounds them everyday. They fail to notice that their picture-perfect world is saturated with mythical beings, some of which exist only for their destruction".
"What?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "How can there be something worse than, well, us? What we are?"
"Nessie" Alexis said, releasing her brother's hand and taking another careful and measured step towards me. My first instinct was to back away, but I refused to allow myself to become afraid. "Have you ever studied religion?" What a strange question, I thought. I turned towards my father for guidance, but he just shrugged his shoulders in response. This meant that he could not read the direction the conversation was going.
"I guess not directly, no" I offered, wishing I actually had. "All I know is what I have observed and heard about through various media, mainly movies and the news".
"Well, do you have an understanding of Hell?" She asked. I stared at her blankly for a moment, stunned at the course our day had taken. I heard Grandpa clear his throat behind me.
"Do you mean to tell us that whatever it is you are hunting resides normally in Hell?" He asked.
"In a sense" Lexi replied. "What your personal beliefs are is up to you. We just use it as a comparison, mainly because there is nothing else to compare the creature to. We call it a demon, simply just because of the literal definition. It is a spirit creature that causes destruction and turmoil wherever it goes. It feeds off of the lives of any creature in its path: humans, animals, and even those of the mythical world. Its main goal is to increase its holdings on this world."
"What do you mean by holdings?" I asked.
"For the past 59 years, we have been chasing this thing across continents and oceans, but have never managed to capture it. When it finds a place it desires, it uses what we call souls to "infect" the people with, well, evil".
"Evil? It infects creatures with 'evil'?" Carlisle asked. He glanced around at Jasper and Dad. "How does it infect beings with 'evil'?"
Lexi looked back at her brother, who nodded and took a confident step forward. "Imagine that you are incredibly thirsty. The thirstiest you have ever been in your entire existence. Now imagine that you walk outside and find that the air tastes as if it is saturated with blood. We know that your family is different, but that does not mean that you still do not find the scent of human blood enticing". He raised the eyebrow over his right eye as if to dare us to protest. Carlisle simply nodded in agreement and for Christopher to continue one. "Everywhere you turn, breath, think, you are surrounded by this tantalizing scent and desire for blood. You feel as if you HAVE to find its source. The scent drives you wild and makes you not yourself. You run off in search of the source, killing anything and everything in your path. You do not stop to feed, even though you may spill blood a thousand times over. You are saving your thirst, your appetite, for the source of the glorious scent. You spend days attempting to locate the source, running around and around in circles, the source always remaining just out of reach. You literally go insane until, one day, you stop. You just stop. You cease to exist. Your whole life essence, what makes you continue on, has been taken from you. You simply disappear and the scent moves on. The newspapers equate the massacre of the town to a strange and unidentifiable illness which causes people to quarantine the area. Bodies, homes, businesses, and parks are burned to the ground. The life you spent so long to build up has disappeared in a few days. You never even realize that you were the cause".
It was silent, the quietest I have ever heard our family. Even the surrounding forest was silent and still. For the longest time, no one spoke. Lexi and Christopher would occasionally glance off into the distant forest, but other than that, made no movements. They were giving us time to digest what they had just told us. We were being hunted, in a sense, by a creature that wanted to use us to destroy the town of Forks. I suddenly understood why Lexi was so concerned: nine strong and stealthy vampires on the loose in Forks, unable to contain themselves. The Quileutes would never stand a chance against all of us, regardless of how many there were now. We would massacre the town within two days, possibly not even leaving a trail of bodies. Who knew what we were capable of?
"What do we do?" I asked quietly, terrified of what the answer might be.
"Well, there's good news and bad news" Lexi replied with a strained voice. "The good news is that the creature is not headed here directly for you. Don't get me wrong, it will still affect you, but that only serves as an added bonus for it. No, what it's really after is me". I felt my mouth drop open as I processed what she had just said. That thing was after her? But why?
"Because, Nessie" She replied to my thoughts. "I'm the only one that can stop it".